Ineos Unveils Small Electric 4x4 Called Fusilier
Manchester United's new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe unveiled Friday his Ineos group's latest 4x4 vehicle, which will come in two electric versions as the British billionaire criticized range limits on green cars.
The Ineos Fusilier, whose production should start in 2027 rather than 2026 as planned, will be a slightly smaller version of the Ineos Grenadier and the group’s third model following the Grenadier Quartermaster pickup truck.
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Ratcliffe, 71, noted on Friday that a desire by Ineos Automotive to produce zero-carbon vehicles was hampered by how far they could travel without a recharge.
“Huge Electric Car Failings”
This is why The Fusilier would come in two versions, Ratcliffe announced: an all-electric model and the other a range-extender type which would carry both a generator-powered battery and fuel tank.
Ratcliffe told a press conference gathered at a central London pub that his personal preference was the latter version.
"The big problem I have with the (all-) electric vehicle... it has two huge failings," he said shortly after the blue car's unveiling outside The Grenadier pub renamed The Fusilier for the event. "It doesn't get you from A to B if you want to go on a decent journey. It does the urban stuff very well... (but) you can't fill it up. Those are two major drawbacks of an electric car."
Ratcliffe added: "My personal strong preference is the same electric vehicle but with a range extender."
Ineos said the new model would be developed in conjunction with automotive supplier Magna, which will manufacture the vehicle at its Graz facility in Austria alongside the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Back in December, Ineos announced that its first two dealers in Canada will be located in Mississauga, near Toronto, and Vancouver. They will sell the Grenadier starting at $91,929 (MSRP). The vehicle is on display at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto until Sunday, February 25.